Southern State Issued
Currency of Arkansas During the Civil War
Arkansas entered the Union as a slave
state on June 15, 1836. To equal the balance of power between free
and slave states, Michigan entered the union as a non-slave state
on the same date. In 1844, Arkansas was the first state to write an
amendment that outlawed all banks which remained in effect until
1868. In March 1861, a state convention voted against secession
from the Union, but two months later on May 6, 1861 by a 69-1 vote,
the convention decided to secede. Following Arkansas's secession, the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America divided Arkansas into eastern and western districts, with the seats of government at Little Rock and Van Buren. Eventually these districts fell under Federal control forcing the Confederate state government to move its capital to Washington in Hempstead County.
The State of Arkansas currency known as Treasury Warrants were issued from 1862 thru 1864 in
denominations of $1, $2, $3, $5, and $10. These notes were printed
on blue, white, or gray paper and are found with plain backs or
printed on the backs of old bills of laden, Bank of the State of
Arkansas stock certificates, or printed with the words ARKANSAS
TREASURY WARRANT in blue, green, or red ink. Arkansas Treasury Notes will be found with the signatures of O. Basham or L.B. Cunningham. Olinver Basham was the Treasurer from Feb. 2, 1861 until April 18, 1864 when he enlisted as a Major in the Confederate Army. L.B. Cunningham was the Registar in the State Treasury Dept. but had authority to sign Arkansas notes in place of the Treasurer during Basham's tenure. Beginning on April 19, 1864 Cunningham succeeded Basham as the Treasurer under the Confederate state government of Arkansas and signed all Treasury Warrants for the remainder of their issuance. Arkansas Treasury notes were printed both in Little Rock, Arkansas and New Orleans, Louisiana.
1863
$5 Note with slaves carrying cotton and bust
of Governor H.M. Rector. This is a plain back note with only the iron gall ink used for the handwritten serial numbers, treasurer signature, and line through the "Interest at Eight percentum per annun" bleeding through the back.
1863
$ Note with slaves carrying cotton and bust
of Governor H.M. Rector, printed on white paper and reverse of a
Bank of the State of Arkansas stock certificate.
ink
1862
$10 Note with slaves carrying cotton,
printed on white paper and reverse printing in green
ink
1863
$10 Note with slaves carrying cotton and
bust of Samuel Adams, the Arkansas state treasurer, printed on grey
paper and reverse printing in green ink
1863
$10 Note with slaves carrying cotton and
bust of Samuel Adams, the Arkansas state treasurer, printed on blue
paper and reverse printing in blue ink
1865
$10 Note dated near the end of the War
(March 3, 1865) with slaves carrying cotton and bust of Samuel
Adams, the Arkansas state treasurer, printed on blue paper. Reverse
is plain.
